A high level Guard the delegation visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) police to discuss extradition details Kinahan-Hutch feud murder suspect and senior Kinahan cartel operative Sean McGovern.

The arrest of the Dubliner in Dubaiand the charges he faces in the Republic, precede the signing of an extradition agreement a week before last between Ireland and the United Arab Emirates. That means McGovern’s extradition cannot take place under the new deal, which is not retroactive and must be treated as a special one-time trial.

For this reason, the Garda, the Government and the DPP are now very keen to ensure that the Irish extradition request for McGovern meets all the legal criteria that must be met before the UAE agrees to send the accused murderer back to the Republic for trial.

The Garda delegation that went to the UAE last week was led by Det Chief Seamus Boland, head of the Garda National Drugs and Organized Crime Bureau. They also involved senior officers from the Garda’s organized and serious crime branch, as well as members of the National Criminal Investigation Bureau, the Garda’s serious crime team.

After the delegation returned to Dublin on Friday, Garda headquarters issued a statement saying that officers had gone to meet senior members of the Dubai Police “to discuss ongoing police cooperation” with a view to ” the relentless pursuit of organized crime groups both in Ireland and abroad. “.

The Irish Times understands that the main item on the agenda was to implement plans to extradite McGovern, who lives openly in Dubai despite being among seven men at the top of the Kinahan cartel sanctioned by US authorities in the past by 2 and a half years.

The meeting in Dubai was also attended by a senior official from Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France, and the Garda Liaison Officer based permanently in the UAE.

“The recent signing of extradition and mutual legal assistance treaties between Ireland and the United Arab Emirates is a very welcome development,” Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said in a statement on Saturday. “(It) demonstrates the continued commitment of international law enforcement and governments to combating transnational organized crime.

“In particular, this is another example of the significant political and diplomatic efforts being made to pursue transnational organized crime groups and other targeted individuals to bring them to justice.”

McGovern (38) was arrested at his home in Dubai on October 10, some 2½ years after it emerged his extradition was being sought by Irish authorities to face serious charges endorsed by the DPP.

McGovern was injured in the shooting at the Regency Hotel in 2016 and is now wanted in the Republic to face charges over the murder of Noel Kirwan (62) in Dublin in December 2016 and organizing organized crime. Mr Kirwan was an innocent man who was shot as part of the Kinahan-Hutch feud because he was connected to the Hutch family, some of whom were his friends.

McGovern has lived openly in Dubai for the past few years, apparently convinced he would not be arrested. However, he is now the first Kinahan cartel figure to be apprehended in the UAE and remains in custody there.

McGovern, whose home in Crumlin, Dublin, was seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau, was described in 2022 by the US Treasury Department as “Daniel Kinahan’s adviser and closest confidant”. He added: “The evidence indicates that all dealings with Daniel Kinahan go through Sean McGovern.”